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"Navy seals" are called special purpose units of the US Navy SEAL, which include the crews of special purpose warships and the Special forces themselves. For many decades, Navy seals have participated in special operations around the world – in Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. But now the confrontation with Russia and China is coming to the fore.
As a rule, all Special Operations Command units of the US Navy are stationed abroad. Nevertheless, the head of the Special Operations Command, General Richard Clark, recently announced his intention to reserve about one third of the combat-ready platoons of Navy seals and boat detachments. This need arose in connection with the rethinking of the concepts of rapid deployment of special forces in the changed global military-political situation.
The command believes that reserve units allow, firstly, to respond promptly to any new challenges, and secondly, they create a solid foundation for constant experiments and exercises, which is difficult to implement with units that are constantly involved in service.
For a long time, the main task of the US Navy Special Operations Command has been to carry out anti-terrorist, anti-insurgency and anti-drug operations around the world. At the same time, priority was given to third world countries.
In addition, the special forces of the US Navy have recently been involved in numerous joint exercises and trainings with the fleets of other states that are members of NATO or allied to Washington. Such exercises are constantly held in the Mediterranean Sea, in the North Sea, and in other regions.
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Joint exercises of the US Navy special forces with the Lithuanian Navy
Now the focus of the Navy Seals command is on the prospect of confrontation with other world powers – Russia and China, which are increasing their military potential and activity in different parts of the world. This requires fundamentally new solutions from the command. In this regard, the special forces of the US Navy engaged in the development of new methods of special operations against Russia and China.
- says the head of the US Navy Special Operations Command, Rear Admiral Hugh Howard, in a recent article for the journal Proceedings of the US Naval Institute.
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Joint exercises of US Navy special forces with special forces of the Greek Navy
Closer integration with the "big fleet", the rear Admiral believes, contributes to further improvement of the tactical and strategic capabilities of the use of naval special forces. For example, the Navy Seals recently conducted joint exercises with the submarine forces of the US Navy, during which they honed their skills of interaction with a Virginia-class nuclear submarine.
Also, Rear Admiral Howard emphasizes, SEAL and Special Boat groups work closely with the Marine Corps in developing additional concepts, supporting expeditions and preparing internal force operations in the contested combat space.
As the American military journalist Stavros Atlamazoglu writes, such initiatives of the naval command meet modern challenges, among which the growing ambitions of other powers, primarily Russia and China, are in the first place. Apparently, the US itself, according to his logic, ambitions are not growing...
Potential opponents, as a columnist writes in the American press, today can bring the confrontation with the United States to a level that Washington has not faced since the end of the Cold War.